T3 Spotlight: KNOWLEDGE CRATES

Jean Piaget said: “Play is the work of childhood”. Fred Rogers said: “Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning”. Albert Einstein said: “Play is the highest form of research”.

Play is so incredibly important to the development of a child. Play in any form, is indeed research. Whether it is structured play, like a specific activity, or the space to allow a child to be creative and play independently without any guidelines, all types of play are necessary! If you have followed our Toddler Tasks Thursday’s (T3) you would know that play is something I believe in, strongly. Not only is it something I feel very passionate about, it is also something that Millie loves very much and is good for her too… win-win!

I know that I am not alone in feeling like being a Parent is a constant hope that you are “doing it right” when in reality…. There is no “right”. As Mom’s (and Dad’s) we do our best and hope that for our child or children, it will be right and enough. It is a constant questioning, a constant planning, a constant hoping. Have I provided the right opportunities? Have I limited screen time enough? Have I allowed them to play independently? When was the last time we did a craft? It goes on, and on, and on. I LOVE watching Millie explore through play, but even as someone who plans, enjoys, and creates opportunities a lot for her… I often would wish I didn’t always have to do the planning. I am fortunate in some ways. Working with children for so many years and having an educational background in child development helps me immensely in this department, but at the same time I know that means a lot of the pressure falls on me to make sure that we are doing it “right”… whatever that is. When I was at work or was taking graduate classes or writing another research paper, I would leave play options with Ray or whoever was watching her in case they needed them… but that did include a lot of planning. We have tried desperately to limit screen time, especially with handheld devices, but also with TV too. In order to successfully complete this mission, I’ve learned that the only way to make it happen so that someone doesn’t give in or fold is to make sure that toys are “fresh” (we will talk about this in a toy rotation post soon) and that there are a few play options besides independent play-based activities. Which for me means… more planning.

When I heard about Knowledge Crates, a new and local company, I knew that we had to get our hands on one and check it out. I was excited (and so was Millie), but I was SHOCKED. I knew the people behind Knowledge Crates, so I was certain that we would get a good product, yet the quality… the way that everything was packaged… the instructions so that I could leave the Knowledge Crate activities with anyone without any planning on my part… the detail… I was blown away. We started with the Winter 2020 crate and once Millie started calling it her “very special surprise that she loved so much”, I knew we would be hooked.

Not only did Millie like the Knowledge Crate… I realized that I ENJOYED the time we spent with them. All of our play and activities had grown to feel stressful for me. I was always thinking about what we needed, what we would do, when was the last time we had done that, will she enjoy it, etc. etc. etc. Unintentionally I was sucking all of the fun and enjoyment out of that special time we were spending together. Once we had Knowledge Crates? I WAS BACK IN THE GAME. Not only did we enjoy the crate, but it gave me little breaks from creating here and there and so I fell back in love with creating, spending the time, enjoying the special activities with my girl. Someday, I hope she looks back and knows that despite whatever was going on, we were present, together. I wasn’t distracted with planning the next thing, I was laughing in the kitchen with her as we made a canvas painting. I was wide eyed with wonder right along side her as we made a Rain Cloud in a cup.

What do we love most about Knowledge Crates? Gosh, we love EVERYTHING… but here are a few highlights:

The people at Knowledge Crates pay a lot of attention to details!
Everything is well labeled and individually packaged by activity.
The people at Knowledge Crates have educational backgrounds and know all about child development, the role play has in learning, AND activities are selected that work on multiple areas of development (sensory, motor skills, etc.).
The Knowledge Crate comes with a Curriculum Guide (instruction manual) that lists every activity in the box. This means no planning and anyone can enjoy it!
Not only is there a Curriculum Guide, but the Curriculum Guide has VITAL components… such as: questions to ask your child when doing the activity to further learning, extension activities to take it a step further, and lists learning goals that show what the child is working on through the fun and simple enjoyment of play!
The QUALITY of the products and activities are incredible.
The reasonable price, subscription discounts, and different opportunities to purchase.
The hard stuff is done for you! NO scouring Pinterest or trying to figure out what to do next, just open the Knowledge Crate and dive in.
Two different age levels: Preschool Crate (ages 3-5) or School Age Crate (ages 6-10). When we got our first crate, Millie was 2.5 but still enjoyed the Preschool Crate immensely! There were just a few of the activities she needed some more help with.
Activities are not one and done… you can use them over, rotate them, AND even once you are out of season you can keep coming back! I put our Fall Knowledge Crate Activities away once we were playing with our Winter Knowledge Crate and recently brought them back out. It was like they were brand new again!
The Knowledge Crate activities are NOT just academic, but are incredibly well-rounded and intentionally focused a little on every area to the true development of a child.

As I mentioned, we loved our first Knowledge Crate (Winter 2020) so much that we got the Spring Crate too. Just as I suspected, Millie was in love. She has no idea she is about to get the Summer Knowledge Crate for her birthday and I will share how it goes… I’m sure that it will be the same (if not more) level of excitement that the other two have brought her. Don’t take my word for it… check out the enjoyment from this kid:

Winter 2020 Knowledge Crate:

Spring 2020 Knowledge Crate:

So, have we convinced you to give it a shot? Check out Knowledge Crate (knowledgecrates.com)! Their website is incredibly user friendly. Choose an age, Choose a Plan, and Get your Crate! They have made it as easy as 1-2-3. Their website has lots of parent reviews, FAQ, and pricing/subscription information. I promise you, you will not regret giving Knowledge Crates a try. We are planning to start gifting them for birthdays too. Can’t be with nieces/nephews, grandkids, etc.? Distance separates you? Not a problem, they ship and EVERYTHING! Send or Gift a Knowledge Crate, they will love it!